Trade Agreement

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - Presidents Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica and Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia agreed on Friday to start negotiations for a free trade agreement between their two countries. Santos said he expects the agreement to be ready for the leaders to sign at the end of this year and would then require approval from both congresses. "We trust that the declaration signed today will allow us to work towards joint aspirations, such as joining the OECD...

The European Union signed an historic free-trade pact with Ukraine on Friday and warned it could impose more sanctions on Moscow unless pro-Russian rebels act to wind down the crisis in the east of the country by Monday. Shortly after returning to Kiev from Brussels where he signed the pact, Poroshenko announced on his website that Ukraine had extended a ceasefire by government forces against pro-Russian separatist rebels by 72 hours until 10 p.m....

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (Reuters) - The United States and Vietnam on Thursday signed a pact that would allow the transfer of nuclear technology to the Southeast Asian nation and open the way for U.S. investment in the burgeoning industry, in another sign that Washington is seeking stronger economic and strategic ties in the region. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S.-Vietnam Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement would allow U.S. firms to tap Vietnam's future nuclear...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pacific trading partners hope to have a free trade agreement ready to present to the public and stakeholders in November, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday. He said the aim was to have a document to discuss with other leaders of Trans-Pacific Partnership nations when he travels to Asia in November, a trip that will include the Group of 20 leaders meeting in Australia on November 15-16. Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders also meet...

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - The presidents of Mexico and Panama signed a free trade deal on Thursday, moving the smaller nation a step closer to joining a regional pact that includes several major Latin American economies. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his counterpart Ricardo Martinelli concluded the accord in Panama City, one of the prerequisites for Panama joining the Pacific trade alliance, which comprises Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru. "Signing this trade agreement...

DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel tried on Friday to allay German fears about a proposed U.S.-EU trade pact, telling a group of business leaders that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could stimulate growth and create jobs. Speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce, Merkel said there were unjustified fears in Germany about the pact that some say could boost the economies of the European Union and United States by $100 billion a year...

SAN JOSE, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Costa Rica's Congress on Tuesday approved an overhaul to a free trade agreement with Mexico aimed at spurring trade between the Central American country and its neighbors. Under the terms of the new agreement, Mexico and Costa Rica's existing 1995 treaty will be merged with Mexico's covenants with Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, to stimulate regional trade. Costa Rican Trade Minister Anabel Gonzalez, who is...

PARIS -- The good news is that the Obama administration plans to create a lot of new jobs. The bad news is that those jobs will mostly be in Asia. President Obama's recent trip to Asia revived debate about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, the cornerstone of this administration's so-called pivot to Asia. The controversial agreement -- not likely to be finalized anytime soon -- currently involves the U.S., Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Brunei,...

CAIRO (Reuters) - The European Union wants to restart talks with Egypt over a wider free trade deal that could help double the value of commercial exchanges in the next few years, the EU ambassador to Cairo said on Monday. His comments signal the EU's wish to safeguard economic ties with Egypt, despite Western misgivings about its political evolution since the army overthrew elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July following mass protests against him. "Our offer for...

TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States and Japan agreed in a joint statement on Friday that a key security treaty covers islands at the centre of a territorial dispute between Japan and China, and said they would continue working towards a bilateral trade deal after talks failed to reach a conclusion. In the statement, issued shortly before U.S. President Barack Obama left Japan after a state visit, the two nations said they shared strong concern over China's air...

SINGAPORE, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Ministers in Trans-Pacific trade talks said on Tuesday they had made 'substantial progress' during a four-day meeting in Singapore but have not reached a final agreement and will meet again next month. "Over the course of this meeting, we identified potential landing zones for the key issues in this text," said U.S Trade Representative Michael Froman, reading from a joint press release at the end of the meeting,...

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - The presidents of Mexico and Panama signed a free trade deal on Thursday, moving the smaller nation a step closer to joining a regional pact that includes several major Latin American economies. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his counterpart Ricardo Martinelli concluded the accord in Panama City, one of the prerequisites for Panama joining the Pacific trade alliance, which comprises Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru. "Signing this trade agreement...

The European Union signed an historic free-trade pact with Ukraine on Friday and warned it could impose more sanctions on Moscow unless pro-Russian rebels act to wind down the crisis in the east of the country by Monday. Shortly after returning to Kiev from Brussels where he signed the pact, Poroshenko announced on his website that Ukraine had extended a ceasefire by government forces against pro-Russian separatist rebels by 72 hours until 10 p.m....

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he would ensure that a planned EU-U.S. trade deal did not weaken existing consumer or environmental standards, as some critics fear. Obama told a news conference that the U.S. and EU publics had legitimate questions on whether a trade deal would benefit their countries over the long term and whether "hard-won victories" on consumer or environmental protection would be preserved. "I have fought my entire...

With 96 percent of the world's population living outside the United States, future growth for American food and agricultural producers is inextricably tied to our ability to access export markets. That's why Kraft Foods is urging Congress to approve the free trade agreement between the United States and Central America and the Dominican Republic. CAFTA-DR represents an opportunity to expand U.S. exports. More than 99 percent of food and agricultural exports from the CAFTA-DR countries...

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A new transatlantic trade deal currently under negotiation would make it easier for the United States to export gas to Europe and help it reduce its dependency on Russian energy, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday. "Once we have a trade agreement in place, export licences for projects for liquefied natural gas destined to Europe would be much easier, something that is obviously relevant in today's geopolitical environment," Obama told a...

TORONTO (Reuters) - A new free trade agreement with South Korea will throw a wrench into Canada's auto sector recovery, union leaders and an automaker warned on Tuesday, highlighting the pressure on an industry already struggling with competition from Mexico. The pact, which immediately drew fire from Ford Motor Co of Canada Ltd and Canada's largest private-sector union, underscores problems with the size and cost of cars being produced in the country's industrial...

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Ministers in 12-nation Trans-Pacific trade talks said on Tuesday they had yet to reach agreement on tariffs and other market access issues, with the timing of a completed deal looking increasingly unclear. Ministers said they had made significant progress during four days of meetings in Singapore, but the talks ended with no clear indication of a time frame to clinch the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) agreements. "Market access is in some respects...